San Francisco Port Commission Elects New Officers
The Port Commission elected Willie Adams as president and Doreen Woo Ho as vice president at the first Port Commission meeting of 2022
San Francisco, CA - The Port Commission elected Willie Adams as president and Doreen Woo Ho as vice president at their January 11, 2022 meeting. Willie Adams has served on the Port Commission since 2012. Doreen Woo Ho has served on the Port Commission since 2011. They have been elected to serve two-year terms.
The Port of San Francisco is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, each of whom is appointed by the Mayor and subject to confirmation by the City's Board of Supervisors. Each commissioner is appointed to a four-year term. The Port Commission is responsible for the seven and one-half miles of San Francisco Waterfront adjacent to San Francisco Bay, which the Port develops, markets, leases, administers, manages, and maintains. Its jurisdiction stretches along the waterfront from Hyde Street Pier in the north to India Basin in the south. The Port’s operating portfolio is composed of more than 550 ground, commercial, retail, office, industrial and maritime industrial leases, including many internationally recognized landmarks such as Fisherman’s Wharf, PIER 39, the Exploratorium, the historic Ferry Building, and Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
“As someone who served a lifetime in the maritime industry and the Port as a commissioner since 2011, I am happy to once again serve as President of this distinguished body,” said Willie Adams, President of the San Francisco Port Commission. “The San Francisco waterfront is a dynamic environment that services 24 million people per year, from the international tourist to the ferry commuter. As president, I will expand the maritime tradition while looking for new opportunities to expand Port operations.”
President Willie Adams was appointed to the Port Commission by Mayor Edwin M. Lee in July 2012. Adams previously served as the Commission's vice president (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) and president (2016 and 2017). Adams previously served on the San Francisco Film Commission. Adams replaces President Kim Brandon, who served as President for the last four years and previously in 2000, 2001, 2008 and 2011. She has served on the Port Commission since 1997.
“I am proud of the work that the Port has accomplished in the last four years and excited to continue working with President Adams and Vice President Woo Ho,” said Port Commissioner Kimberly Brandon. “They will build on the important work that we have done over the past few years to create and expand waterfront opportunities while advancing racial equity and ensuring that our waterfront is well prepared to meet our challenges head-on to ensure that it will be here for future generations to come.”
Adams was named the President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) in 2018. Adams's long history with ILWU started in Tacoma, Washington in 1978, where he worked on the docks as a longshoreman for 24 years. In 1998, he was elected by co-workers to serve on their local union Executive Board and chosen in 2000 to serve on the union’s International Executive Board. Adams was also elected to serve as one of three Trustees who oversee the ILWU’s finances. Adams has represented the ILWU during visits with workers in South Africa, Australia, Spain, Cuba, Vietnam and China.
Adams also serves on the Board of TransAfrica, where he works closely with Board Chairman Danny Glover and Board member Harry Belafonte. He is a passionate cultural advocate. He produced “Celebrations of Black History and Labor” programs in Tacoma, which featured cultural and political figures including Danny Glover, Paul Robeson, Jr., Yolanda King (Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter), hip-hop icon Chuck D, and Betty Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X). He is also executive producer of several documentary films, including one exploring the life of African American writer Langston Hughes, “Hughes’ Dream Harlem,” and “The Black Composers,” which tells the story of African American film score composers. Adams is currently involved with a full-length dramatic film exploring the life of labor leader Harry Bridges. Adams has resided in San Francisco since 2003.
“It is my honor to serve as Vice President of the San Francisco Port Commission and help lead the organization's efforts to successfully navigate the economic storm that the pandemic has left in its wake,” said Doreen Woo Ho, Vice President of the San Francisco Port Commission. “To navigate this storm, we will work with staff to make smart investments and improve the management and stewardship of our beautiful waterfront.”
Vice President Doreen Woo Ho was first appointed to the San Francisco Port Commission by Mayor Edwin M. Lee and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors in May 2011 and was elected President of the Port Commission in 2012 and 2013.
She currently serves as an Independent Director of Hercules Capital, a venture lending company based in Palo Alto, and as a board member of the San Francisco Opera. She previously served as a board member of US Bancorp, C100 (Committee of 100) and APIASF (Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund). She is a retired seasoned executive with over 35 years of commercial and consumer banking experience. She is also the former President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of United Commercial Bank (UCB).
Prior to UCB she was engaged by Wells Fargo & Company (1998-2008) as the President of the Consumer Credit Group and also was an Executive Vice President responsible for Enterprise Marketing, Student Loans and Corporate Trust. She was also a member of the Wells Fargo
Management Committee. Ms. Woo Ho managed a portfolio of over $100 Billion in assets with nationwide distribution in multiple channels. Prior to Wells Fargo, she was a Senior Vice President with Citibank, holding multiple management positions in corporate banking, marketing, retail banking, consumer & mortgage lending, and small business banking. Before joining Citibank, Ms. Woo Ho was a correspondent for Time magazine and CBS Radio News based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Ms. Woo Ho is a graduate of Smith College and Columbia University.
A resident of San Francisco since 1974, she is married to James K. Ho, Board President of Chinese Hospital and former Deputy Mayor of San Francisco.
“I look forward to working with President Adams and Vice President Woo Ho,” said Elaine Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “The newly elected Commission Officers are exceptional leaders whose tremendous experience and expertise will serve the Port well as we laser focus on economic recovery, advancing racial equity and addressing our seismic and sea level rise challenges.”